


All I want for Christmas

by amamiya_toki



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Brotherly Love, Christmas, Family, Gen, Their relationship is up to your interpretation, Wishes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 21:43:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13152624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amamiya_toki/pseuds/amamiya_toki
Summary: Since he was a child, there was something that Tenn wanted more than just gifts and presents for every Christmas.





	All I want for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> My still-sleepy brain came up with this during Christmas mass yesterday morning (it's about 1pm of the 26th here as of this posting and it's my lunch break at work). I wasn't able to rush it out within the day, but I'm satisfied with what I wrote.
> 
> Merry Christmas to everyone, and have a Happy New Year in advance, in case I don't post anything before 2017 ends.

Like many children his age, Nanase Tenn's favourite holiday of the year was Christmas. However, his reason was very much different.

There is no child who will not look forward to receiving a special something, often from their parents, on Christmas Day. They would request for things, such as toys or books that have caught their fancy during shopping trips or were featured on television. On Christmas day itself, they would find a present or two, wrapped in colourful packagings, for them. Seeing the joy on the child's face as they open the specially prepared present would put a smile on the parents' faces as well.

To Tenn, Christmas was never about the presents, even from a young age.

For as long as he could remember, there was only one thing he would wish for, and it was the same thing each year.

"When you think of Christmas, you think of the colour red. Red is Riku's colour. That's why I don't need any presents. All I want is for Riku to get better and become healthy again. That way, he can finally be home for Christmas."

Winter was a harsh season for his family, as the cold weather and dry air proved to be dangerous for Nanase Riku's—his younger twin brother—health. The boy was born with a weak constitution and was often in the hospital because of his condition. The chiller and colder months always proved to be the most trying for him and the family, who could do nothing for him. He had spent many, if not most of his Christmas seasons in the pediatric ward rather than with his family at home.

"It can't be helped," was what the boy always says with a smile whenever he is told that he had to stay in the hospital.

However, Tenn knows that behind his smile was deep sadness and jealousy. It was hard for the family to have to watch him suffer, but it was definitely harder on Riku than anyone else. He knew that the redhead wanted to be like any normal child, to laugh and smile with his family in the comfort of their home during this supposedly joyous season.

Most of all, there is nothing that Tenn wanted other than to spend his days with his beloved younger brother by his side. Be it during this festive season, or on ordinary days.

That was why when he learnt of his family's predicament, back when he was in his first year of middle school, he was distraught.

Riku had spent the majority of his elementary school days in the hospital. He even had to be schooled there, unlike Tenn who attended the local public school like most of the children in their neighbourhood. When they got to middle school age, Riku was deemed fit enough to attend a regular school, and that made Tenn happy. Despite the few days that Riku had to miss school due to his health, they were finally able to be together.

However, life was never smooth sailing.

It was during early summer, in the month of June when he first met Kujou Takamasa, the man who would become his adoptive father.

That day, he and Riku were returning home from school, each with an umbrella held over their heads to shield them from the light shower that had persisted throughout the day. When they arrived at their family's shop, located just next to their family home, they found him standing outside. At that time, he gave off a strange impression: he was dressed formally and in black from head to toe, simply standing in silence in the rain.

Riku had taken the first move to approach him, despite Tenn's advice not to talk to strangers.

"Mister, are you a customer? We won't be open until a little later, but if you'd like we could let you wait inside since it's raining."

"There's no need to. I see no reason for me to waste my time in entering a failing establishment."

That piqued Tenn's interest. "What do you mean by 'failing'?"

"The food is one thing, but the entertainment is not even close to being third-rate. Oh, my apologies. To call it 'entertainment' would make it a complete insult to those who provide true entertainment."

His unfiltered words stung, and naturally, made the two get angry and upset. Tenn had to stop Riku from flaring up, as his condition would act up when he gets upset or too emotional. Certainly, his tone and way of speaking rubbed them off the wrong way. However, what made Tenn more uncomfortable was the way the man was staring at him so intensely.

"You." As he was on his guard, Tenn almost jumped when he heard the man speak to him. "I've seen you before. You are a child of this establishment, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?"

"I see." He spoke in a confusing manner and wore an equally confusing expression, which made Tenn frown. "What a pity."

"What is?"

"For someone like you to be cooped up in a place like this. It's such a waste of the natural talent you were born with. If only there was someone to provide you proper training, education and guidance, you would surely be able to be groomed into a rare once-in-a-decade superstar. Yet, by staying at a place like this... it would do nothing but putting those wonderful talents that you were blessed with. But perhaps if you were to come under my wing, you would surely be able to become the ultimate idol. Yes, one who would even surpass that man…"

Tenn would have confronted the man, irked by his words, but he was physically restraining Riku from doing just that.

"Tenn-nii! Let go of me!"

"Riku, no. Don't."

"But I can't let him keep saying terrible things like that!"

"Riku. Calm down. You know what will happen to your body when let yourself be provoked." Knowing that his brother will not settle down until the man was gone, Tenn turned to him and mustered the calmest tone he could at that moment. "Please leave. After hearing what you have said, we will not welcome you here."

"Hmph. A stubborn one, aren't you. But I shall respect your decision and withdraw for today. I will leave you my name card. I'm sure you will reconsider my offer very soon."

Despite his annoyance with him, Tenn reluctantly accepted the small card. Riku told him to burn it, saying that it was a symbol of bad fortune, but part of him knew that what that man had mentioned was true.

At that time, their parents tried to hide it from the two of them, but Tenn was aware that business was not going as well as it had in the past. The number of customers was steadily dropping, and he had overheard them talking about the matter at night when he had woken up to use the washroom.

Of course, he did not tell Riku anything. He felt that Riku, who already felt burdened by his illness, should not know of this matter.

It was several months later that his parents sat him down at the dining table after dinner and told him the truth: their business had gone bust as they suffered too many losses. Riku was hospitalised at that time, and Tenn was the only one they informed of this matter.

In fact, Riku was the main topic of that discussion. Then again, when was he not? In regards to money, it was about his expensive hospital bills. Despite their father being able to secure a job and their decision to sell off their house and other valuables, it was only sufficient to make ends meet for a regular family. Even with social support, it would be difficult to continue providing the younger teen with the medical care he needed to get better without a large sum. Unfortunately, none of their relatives was able to provide them enough for that, despite being offered some donations to help relieve them of their financial burden.

That was when Tenn recalled Kujou Takamasa's words. He spent a sleepless night considering the offer that had been made to him and made his decision.

After school the next day, he used a public phone to dial the number on the card he was given.

Fortunately, he did not need to jolt the man's memory of who he was. It was unsettling that he was well aware of his family's predicament and his own intentions, and he almost lost his temper when the man boldly announced that he was the very person who had crushed his family's business.

However, what good would it do?

What is done had already been done, and nothing can change that.

The only thing he was capable of changing is the future.

He mustered up the courage and firmed his resolve to call him in order to achieve one goal, and he must see it through.

"How much?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You said you wanted my natural talent, and offered to groom me into an idol."

"Yes, I did."

"How much would you be willing to pay for that?"

"..."

There was no reply for a few seconds, and Tenn regretted speaking without tact. However, he knew that beating around the bush was meaningless with this person.

However, after that brief silence, the man offered him a sum of money. The amount was more than he imagined. He did not know how long it could help his parents get by... but surely, it would be worth everything he had to give up?

As with all deals, the man had one condition that Tenn was unwilling to accept: to give up his family. If he agreed, he would no longer be able to call himself a member of the Nanase family anymore and be a member of the Kujou family, in name and by the law. He would be adopted and raised as the man wishes.

For him, who was still considered a child, it was the biggest sacrifice that he had to make. It meant that he would no longer be able to remain brothers with Riku, no longer being able to be by his side and support him.

However, Tenn knew that he could not let his determination waver.

If by sacrificing his being an 'older brother' to Riku would keep him alive, then he had no reason to refuse. It was, without doubt, more important than anything else.

Kujou gave him time to consider, advising that he should talk it over with his parents as he needed their permission for the adoption.

Naturally, his parents were against it. Was there a loving parent who will willingly give up their child?

Tenn tried to convince them of his reasons. Some were logical, some were personal. He was filled with so many emotions, many of them conflicting, that he could not hold back the tears that came to his eyes as he spoke. Eventually, his mother was the first to relent. It was definitely not an easy decision for her to make. His father, still reluctant, could only follow her decision and agree.

Kujou was contacted and the arrangements were made. All three of them decided to not speak to Riku of this matter, as it was for the best.

It was decided that Tenn would leave the Nanase family home on Christmas Eve that year, to follow his adoptive father overseas. Riku was supposed to be discharged from hospital the week after, which made it easier for Tenn to leave without saying a word.

Tenn was told to only bring with him what he needed and a few items that he wanted, as Kujou promised to provide him everything he needed the moment he took. All of those was just enough to fit into one duffle bag.

The day before the appointed day, as he packed with a heavy heart, his mother came to talk to him. She gave him all sorts advice, reminding him to look after himself. She, too, was holding back tears. These spilt over when she embraced him tightly, apologising to him for forcing him to make such an important decision at a young age.

It was then that fate decided to play a nasty trick on their family. As if it was the plot of a manga, the hospital had called the family after this moment to tell them that Riku would be discharged the next day, when Tenn would be leaving.

It was a shock and a nasty surprise, but Tenn could not let that change his decision.

Even if it would mean having his one wish—to spend Christmas Day with Riku at home, would finally come true.

To this day, he could still recall Riku's expression when he had come home to see his older brother, standing next to Kujou with the red duffle bag in his hands.

The way that cheerful smile was twisted and turned upside-down into an expression of fear... the thought of that still made Tenn's heart heavy. He said nothing to Riku, who bombarded him with questions. Their parents intervened, separating them and telling the latter to calm down when he began to cry as he tried to cling onto Tenn's clothes repeatedly, as the pink-haired teen pulled away from him each time.

He was well aware that Riku would interpret his actions as a form of betrayal. But this was for the best. That was what he had decided, and will have to see it through.

"Tenn, it's time to go."

Kujou's deep voice was like a bomb dropped onto a raging battlefield.

As he finally broke free of Riku's grasp, Tenn said his last words to his dearest person.

"Goodbye, Riku."

That was how he left the Nanase family and begun his life anew as Kujou Tenn.

He swore to himself that as long as he bears the Kujou name, he would have nothing to do with the family he left behind. If by chance, he were to meet them again, they would be nothing more than strangers to him.

Yet he felt a strange twinge in his heart when he heard that familiar voice singing from a distance. It had been five years... much too long for a teenager, but he had recognised it immediately with no doubt at all. It certainly made him waver for a moment, but he realised that it did not matter.

Tenn guessed that Riku's intentions had been to follow in his footsteps, to chase after him. It was no different from the time when they were children. Back then, Riku would want to do what he did, insist on going where he went. And with him and his group, Trigger, being popular enough to be displayed on posters and banners, his family would definitely have noticed him.

He was aware that surviving in the entertainment world was no easy feat. In his two years of being in Trigger, his group had crushed many rivals, using them as stepping stones for their rise to stardom of which ultimately led to them disappearing from this world altogether.

Riku, with his condition and weak constitution, would definitely not make it far. His group may even suffer the same fate as the rest.

How wrong he was.

No one, including Tenn himself, expected for Idolish to 7defeat Trigger during the end of year's Black or White event. Even he did not think that that group would have made it that far within a short period of time.

However, that was just the very beginning.

Tenn did his best to avoid as much contact with Riku as possible, even if it was for work. Things did not go in his favour, of course, when their two groups began to grow closer in the course of their career and in their personal lives.

Fortunately, it seemed that Riku was still unaware of the reason why he left home, for a better or for a worse. What was worrying was that their relationship seemed to be teetering. For Tenn, he was torn between putting distance between them and lingering feelings for this brother. For Riku, it was between his desire to have his brother back and the anger he felt from his abandonment of the family.

Despite that, they seemed to be getting along better than Tenn thought they ever would after he left the family.

"Perhaps... too well?"

He could not help but utter those words under his breath just moments after he woke up to his brother's sleeping face.

With a groan, he sat up to find that he was not in his own bed. In fact, he was not in his bedroom. He had been here before... this was Riku's room. And he was sharing the same bed with him. Not to mention that his head was pounding.

What in the world was going on...?

Taking a deep breath, he tried to make sense of things and recall the sequence of events that led up to this.

He remembered being forcefully dragged to the Idolish7 dorm by his group-mates for a party. This was after the live broadcast of Re:vale's special Christmas Eve show, where the two groups had been invited as special guests. The adults went straight for the alcohol, while the minors talked amongst themselves where the food was. Riku had stuck to him the entire time, talking about many things. The rest joined in later.

But what happened after that, he was unable to recall at all. The throbbing of his head may have prevented him from doing so. Fortunately, his entire group had the day off since everything had been prerecorded. That was a rare occasion, but at least he would not need to worry about how it would interfere with his work.

He heard the door of the room open and turned his head towards that direction.

"Good morning, Kujou-san. You're awake already?"

"Izumi Iori?" That was not one of the few people whom Tenn expected to see first thing in the morning. However, he may know how he ended in this situation. "I hope you don't mind, but can you tell me how I ended up here?"

"Ah, you really don't remember. The adults got pretty drunk last night, and they went on a rampage, or something similar to that. During that time, Tsunashi-san forced you to drink beer. He pretty much chugged the entire glass down your throat and you passed out after that. Since everyone else was staying over, including your manager, we decided not to wake you up and let you sleep as well."

"I see... but why Riku's bed?"

"Nanase-san insisted that he wanted to sleep with you in his bed. I was against it, but he won't let it go. Yotsuba-san and Rokuya-san helped carry you into the room and changed your clothes."

"Clothes...?" Now that Iori had mentioned it, Tenn was wearing a set of pyjamas that certainly did not belong to him. There was no way he would buy and wear star-pattered pyjamas at his age. "This is Riku's?"

"The both of you are roughly the same size, so it was the logical choice to make."

"I see. Thank you for answering my questions."

"It's no problem at all. I'm going to make breakfast since everyone else is either still asleep or hungover, so you may rest a little while longer if you wish to. If you can, please wake Nanase-san up as well."

"Got it."

The door was closed, and Tenn looked down at his twin.

Riku was still sleeping. His expression could only be described as blissful as he remained curled up next to Tenn. It was a wonder how the both of them were still able to fit on a mattress meant for one when they will soon be adults.

Tenn was not one to sleep in, but he was unable to leave his bed just yet. His head was killing him, and he made a mental note to punish Ryuu later for what he did to him. The only thing he could do now was to continue watching Riku sleep peacefully.

He never ceases to be amazed at how little Riku has changed.

That fact also irritated him as he will be reminded of his lack of determination as well.

If he recalled from yesterday's conversation, Riku also had the day off. That meant that neither was in a hurry to get out of bed or to start the day. They had plenty of time to do things at their own pace. For a moment, Tenn felt that being able to do so felt like he had returned to his childhood days.

"Tenn-nii?" Riku had mumbled his name as he sleepily opened his eyes. "Good morning..."

"Good morning, Riku."

"What time is it now?"

"Give me a minute." Tenn reached behind his pillow for his smartphone but realised that he was unable to find it. Fortunately, there was a clock on the bedside table. "It's a little before seven."

"So early..." Riku let out a loud yawn as he sat up and stretched his arms above his head.

"Izumi Iori came in earlier to say that it would take a while before breakfast would be ready. You may sleep a little while longer."

"No, I'm good." Riku chuckled lightly. "I finally got what I wanted for Christmas. It would be such a waste to go back to sleep."

"What you wanted?"

"Rather than toys or books, the only present I ever wanted for Christmas was to be able to wake up next to Tenn-nii… maybe even to spend the whole day with you, if it was possible…"

"Oh…"

It was the same as his own.

Despite looking different from one another, they were alike in the oddest ways. Then again, perhaps this is because they are twins.

"I guess… it's not?"

Tenn blinked at Riku for a moment before he understood what he had meant. His last line had been a question, where he had been seeking his permission.

If he was still Nanase Tenn, there would have been no need to ask. However, it seemed that Riku was considering his feelings as 'Kujou Tenn'. After all, they were no longer brothers by name. However, nothing can change the fact that they were still brothers by blood, having shared their time with each other ever since they had been conceived.

Indeed, Tenn may have changed their futures with his one decision. However, he could not disregard the thirteen years that they have spent together, for it made him who he is.

"What's the plan for today?"

"Eh?"

"You said you wanted to spend the day with me, didn't you? So, what do you intend to do?"

Those were words that reflected his approval and acceptance. Riku's confused expression bloomed into a huge smile, which filled Tenn's chest with a nostalgic warm, fuzzy feeling.

"Let's talk about it over breakfast!" He chirped with enthusiasm, reminding Tenn of a puppy who was too eager to be brought out for his walk.

A smile found its way onto Tenn's face. "That's a good idea. But first, I'd like to take a shower. I haven't got a chance to bathe last night."

"Do you need a change of clothes and a towel?"

"I will accept that offer, although it would be a big help if you could help me get a pair of underwear from the convenience store nearby."

"Ehh... you could just borrow one of mine."

"It's a matter of personal hygiene so no can do."

While it may seem that they had disagreements, their special Christmas Day together began on a good note. Both were simply happy to be able to spend time with each other since they finally have their one and only wish granted.

However, just because it has been granted did not mean that they could not wish for the same thing again the next year.

For many Christmases to come, Kujou Tenn and Nanase Riku would still have the same wish. And while it may not be granted on Christmas day itself, they no longer have to feel sorrowful about not having that wish come true.

**\- THE END -**


End file.
